home decor

ROOM TOUR: THE BOYS’ PLAYROOM

It only took me 2 1/2 years to organize my playroom… but it’s finally looking pretty good! All that I needed was a system. Thankfully my besties The Home Edit let me bother them over and over about what to do. They suggested I color code shelves for easy cleanup, and label bins so that everything has a home. I purchased some inexpensive solutions, all linked below! Truly hoping this makes clean up easier for my kids and me!

Board games and puzzles on the top row, books on the middle row, and baskets filled with smaller items on the bottom row. ROYGBIV everything so everyone knows where it goes!

For decor, I tried to stick to 3 colors: mint, golden yellow, and red. Keeps things easy!

CLICK FOR SOURCES:

Shelves under the TV

& Baskets (10″)

Bin clips

Removable tape for bin labels (but I wrote with a sharpie)

Round white and mint bin – Target Pillowfort, only in stores

Shelves under the window (2)

& Bins

Shelves under the artwork

Baskets (ikea, no longer available)

White fluffy chair

Yellow lamp (Target, no longer available)

Mint woven bin

Anyone feed the kids art print

Art table

Aqua chairs

ART WALL:

Pennant

Map

Man playing trumpet

Lion & people

Cow

School bus

Let me know if you have any questions!!

xo

Leah

ROOM TOUR: LEAH’S MASTER CLOSET

My closet is finished!! I pretty much want to live the rest of my life in here, guys. Bye forever! The Home Edit organized and beautified my closet, nay, my life. I thought I had it organized really well before. Guess what? I didn’t. Joanna and Clea’s brains just work differently. They’ve revolutionized the business of home organizing, and I feel so fortunate to have them in my life! Do yourself a favor and check out their blog and instagram for daily inspiration. PS they’re also amazing human beings and friends, so there’s that. 
To top it all off, Chasing Paper so graciously gave us their gorgeous peel and stick wallpaper which gave the room a glamorous pop! I highly recommend Chasing Paper for an accent wall (though dreaming about papering my whole powder room in this print!!). Applying the paper was easy peasy. Sure, you have to work carefully, but the paper is VERY forgiving. If you mess up, simply peel off the panel and just reapply it. I did this multiple times with the same panel, and it 100% held up. Once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty quickly. It’s awesome if you’re in a rental or if you just change your mind a lot! It peels right off and doesn’t damage the paint underneath.
All photos by The Home Edit.
Scroll down for links!
 This antique mirror was Jeffrey’s Grandmother’s. It was the inspiration for all of the gold details.
The shoe wall, you guys, the shoe wall! The Home Edit labeled each box simply with “heels” “sandals” etc. Because if they had labeled by brand, the whole closet would say “Target”.
I found THIS jewelry box at Target to display my Nana’s charm bracelet from high school. Special little details!
That large drawer on the bottom is actually a tilt out laundry hamper! Yes please.
Joanna and Clea found out that I was a jewelry hoarder. They slimmed everything down and organized the crap out of me. Drawer organization on their favorites page.
 I love that they found my Nana’s old glasses and displayed them alongside all of my keepsake/antique jewelry.
Organizing shirts by color = instant style
Jeffrey gets one little corner…. ha! He has zero clothes! I need to work on this.
So so so happy with my closet! Thank you The Home Edit and Chasing Paper!!
LINKS IN PINK
Organization and styling: The Home Edit
Wallpaper: Chasing Paper
Closet installation: Closets by Design
Chandelier: Joss and Main
Jewelry displays: Target
Clothing hangers: Joy Mangano
Storage solutions: The Home Edit Favorites
Mirror: Antique
Painters: CertaPro
All photos by The Home Edit
xo
– L

DALMATION WALL STENCIL | BEFORE & AFTER

      We recently purchased a fixer upper of our own, and have big plans for it. However, we are having to start small. One thing we did not have that I felt was an immediate need was a place to hang our jackets and bags and put our shoes. Our laundry room is the room we enter into from our garage, so I decided to make a small utility wall in there. The entire room is getting a makeover… new floors, cabinets, countertop, light fixture…. the works. Until then, I just needed a space to hang all of the crap that would make its way onto our sofa and living room floor. No Bueno!
    
 I recently became obsessed with all things dalmatian, and wondered how I could incorporate this print into my home. I just wanted that one scene stealing wall in my home. I toyed with doing removable wallpaper, but truthfully, it was a bit pricey for a laundry room. Also, what if I want something different in the future? I just didn’t want to deal with removing wallpaper. With stencils, you can use paint and just paint right over it and even use the stencil on a different wall if you want. The more research I did, I felt confident that I could handle doing a stencil… on my own….for the first time. Well, I was at least going to try. 
     
I came across the amazing stencils from Gypsy Mint, and fell. in. love! They were kind enough to send me their dalmatian pattern to try, and I could NOT wait to get it up on my wall. The best part was that they let me customize my stencil. They have such great designs ready for purchase, but customizing is their specialty, and it allowed me to get my stencil just the way I wanted it. I also really love this one for a little kids’ room as well as this one. They are just all so good friends!
 First, I had to pick the colors that I wanted to use. White is not just white, and black is not just black guys. I wanted a specific warm white with a softer black shade. I ended up going with BM’s White Dove and Space Black. Space Black actually looks like a true navy when it is put up against something black, but on the wall…. it is “black” and perfect! This was my wall before ( kind of). I may have gotten a little paint happy before snapping this photo. It was just a dark grey room with no windows that needed some serious brightening. 
The stencil comes with clear cut instructions on how to transform a wall in no time. I altered those instructions a tad so that I could work with what I had on hand rather than buying more supplies. For instance, I used painter’s tape to hold my stencil up rather than spray adhesive. It worked just fine. There was a little bleeding here and there, but I am such a perfectionist, that I was planning on doing touching up afterwards anyway. The stencil was extremely sturdy and such great quality!! I was really impressed!
From left to right: I placed my stencil in the center of my wall as instructed. Then, I got the paint on my mini roller. I used a mini roller cover for a roller handle I already owned. I used a knit roller, NOT a foam roller. I rolled over the stencil after getting as much excess paint off as possible. I didn’t want it to bleed underneath the stencil. It is really really important to go slow and not get impatient. SO. HARD for me. I left the stencil on while the first (very thin) layer dried enough for me to add a second coat. Then, I removed the stencil and just laid it down until I was ready to place it in the next space. The great thing about this pattern is that you can’t really mess up! There are arrows on the stencil to help you with placement, but if there were spaces that had less spots, I just went back and added them at the end. I did the edges of the wall very last. I got as many full stencil coverings as possible first. 
Here is what this tiny little Gypsy Mint box allowed me to create in my own home. I am obsessed with it, and it is by far my favorite thing to look at around my house. I can’t thank them enough!

For our coat hooks, we simply took 2 1×4 planks, stained them with our stain of choice, and after searching, purchasing, hating, returning, and searching some more for the perfect brass hooks…. Target saves me. Have you guys seen their new brass hardware? Sigh…. I love you Target!! I cannot wait to reveal the entire room with you guys here in the next few weeks. Sad to say, I spend a lot of time doing laundry. An efficient room that is pretty to look at is just a must!
Sources:
Stencil – be sure and check these ladies out! | Basket | Brass Hooks | Mirror  

TEN STAGING TIPS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME

Happy Friday friends!! Gosh, I am so happy to have this week behind me. We put our house on the market about two weeks ago. Since then, we have been hustling around to accommodate showings and open houses. Truly one of the most exhausting things to do with kids. Live perfectly, and get your house to look like a magazine throughout the day so people will want to buy it???? yeah. umm. ok….
I am overjoyed to share that our house is SOLD! Now that things have slowed down for us (temporarily), I wanted to share my top 10 tips on staging your home to SELL. I stress the “sell” part because it is important to remember that you are not staging your home for yourself and your family. You have to think about those coming to see your home. It was very hard for me to get into that mindset.
So, here goes…
STAGING TIPS:
1. Depersonalize
Take down or change out all photos of you, your family or friends. I took quite a few frames off of the walls and off of tables/counters/dressers and went ahead and boxed them up. Don’t be afraid of empty walls. That is a good thing for a buyer to see so that they can visualize their own photos instead. My larger frames that made up my gallery walls like the one above stayed in place. I just opened the frames, and inverted the existing photo. Then, I simply added free printables, wallpaper, etc. It will make going into your new home and rehanging everything a breeze.
2. Declutter
 Decluttering was the best thing that ever happened to our home. Ha! I am NOT a hoarder. In fact… a purger by nature. However, there is always something that needs to go. We followed the “rule of 3”. No more than 3 items on each shelf or table. It really opens up your space!
3. Kids’ toys
Have your kids pick their “favorite” toys. Keep it to just enough to fill a bin in their room or playroom. This made it easy for our daughter to throw her toys in their designated bin when we got a call for a showing appointment. It also keeps everything looking tidy. We had toys hidden in ottomans too! 🙂
4. Remove everything from closet floors
This will make your closets not look or feel cluttered. You can even move items on the floor to the top if you have room. Just make it look neat. You want the buyer to open the door and see space. Walk-in closets – line your clothes from light to dark. Lighter clothing pieces being closest to the entry. If you want to go the extra mile (we did not), get matching hangers. 
5. Define spaces
The way that your furniture is set up for your family may not create the best “flow” for potential buyers. Be sure and create defined spaces. For example… we have an open living floor plan. It was important for us to make it feel like there were three separate rooms in one large space. Dining room, kitchen and living room. We ended up moving our sectional sofa up to separate
the dining room and also to create a walk way from our front door to our kitchen. Walking into the room and not having to walk AROUND something to get to the other side of the room was key to making each space feel larger and more open. It is all about “shifting weight”. Don’t have too much on one side of the room. Even things out. Make sense?
^ These frames anchored the entry way, so I decided to keep them up. However, I switched out photos of my daughter with free printables that I found online.^
6.  Put valuables in a safe place/file away personal files
 You have people walking through your home! Strangers!! I had necklaces hanging on hooks in my closet. I removed those, and packed up most of my jewelry. I figured I could live with my every day dainty pieces for a couple of weeks. We also have a coin machine (we kept it in our coat closet) to just dump extra change in, then we save the rolls in a jar until it is worth going to cash them in. We took that out as well! Better to be safe. We had our calendar hanging on our fridge, and my desk was full of business mailings. I made sure to put all of that stuff away as well. Nobody needs to know where you will be on what day at what time, ya know? 
7. Remove signs of animals
We love our sweet dog, but not everyone is an animal lover. Nor do they want to see their dirty food bowls. We simply took dog food out to the garage.
8. Curb Appeal 
 Remove weeds, trim back hedges, maybe even add fresh mulch. Touch up paint (if you have the exterior color available) around doors.
9. Let the light in 
Open all of your blinds/curtains and turn on all of the lights. Let the natural light shine into your home. It creates an airy feeling, and of course makes each space feel larger.
10. Get a laundry basket
 At any given time, you WILL have random things out on the counter or on the floor when you get the call to show your home. With kids, I didn’t always have the time to do a perfect cleaning sweep. Lots of things when into drawers, cabinets, under beds. However, when I would come home I would forget where I placed things. Simply keep a laundry basket handy and just throw everything into that, and throw the basket into your car so you can get out of there quickly. It seems crazy, but it is soooo much easier.
Just remember that you are still living in your home. People get that! I put a lot of pressure on myself to make my house look like a model home each time. It is IMPOSSIBLE! 
Our buyers left us a sweet note during one of their visits to our home, and my family and I couldn’t be happier about the people coming into this home to love on it as much as we have. We have spent the majority of our married life here, brought both of our babies home to his house, and shared countless memories and holidays here. I sure am going to miss it. So, knowing that another family is ready to love on this place is heartwarming to me. 
Good luck selling your house!! 
-J

OPEN SHELVING: STYLED

Hey friends! How was your weekend? My daughter and I hit the road this weekend with my husband, and although we traveled to an extremely ( miserably) hot place, I was just happy to not have to have our little family separated for those two days. I don’t get to travel with him often…. well, like ever actually. So, I usually jump at the chance when there is room on the bus for me and the little.
It has been a pretty quiet Monday for us. We are tying up ALL loose ends on this kitchen this week, and we truly are almost done. I know I have been claiming that for a while now. When you are doing all of the work yourself while juggling a toddler and life in general, it all goes sooooo much slower than you could have ever planned. I am not complaining though! 
I took some time today (nap time) to finally style the open shelving in my kitchen. Up til now, I have just been accumulating dishes and throwing things up there without actually arranging and putting the final touches on everything. I knew I wanted lots of neutrals, with maybe a touch or two of color. 
I moved my rubber spatulas to a vase near my mixer for easy access while prepping baked goods. I am just faking it really, but I love the way it looks to have a little “baking station”

Most of my big plates were in the dishwasher when I shot these photos… oops! I found these recycled water glasses from a local general store here in Nashville called Whites Mercantile. It is a must visit if you are ever in town!

 I finally framed a water color print that I made LAST Thanksgiving…..oh, for our VERY FIRST post. Crazy!!

 Unfortunately, the colors and designs of some of my cookbooks that I love did not go with my kitchen color palette. I took off the cover to my Joy of Cooking book, which had bright red and navy on it, and it revealed this beautiful white and gold perfection! Then, I wrapped another cookbook of mine (which was bright yellow) in a charcoal floral wrapping paper. The three books look a little more cohesive sitting up there now.

PREPARING A GUEST ROOM

Is there really anything better than walking into a hotel room ( or whatever kind of accommodations you have made) when on vacation or a business trip of some sort? Clean sheets, fresh towels, beautiful flowers….. I die for them all! A hotel room, with a beach cottage feel, is exactly what my husband and I wanted our guest room to feel like for friends and family that come to stay with us. Whether it be for a night or a couple of days, I still prep the same.
Our dear friends, who are also newlyweds, came to stay with us for a night after a party we all attended  near our home this past weekend. The sole reason we have a house with more rooms than we need is to be able to open our home up to people. It is a passion of ours to be able to bless people that way. When they ask, we say “yes!” I took some time to shoot the room to show how I set up for these occasions. 
Everything in this room ( excluding the duvet cover and sheet set) has either been handmade, or purchased at an extreme discount!! You can completely make a beautiful space on a dime. 

We tend to call this room our “California room”. California is a special place to us because it is where my husband is from, and also where we were married. I found “vintage” San Francisco prints at Goodwill and framed them with clearanced Target frames that I spray painted white. The wooden San Diego print was a gift from my husband. Also, the chair was a thrift find that I spray painted and covered in fabric during our first year of marriage….. 7 years ago.
I love keeping a pen and pad by the bed. Most of my thoughts come to me at night, so I assume the same for my guests I suppose. Ha! Lamp, table and golden crab were clearance finds from Target.
Sconces were handmade by my dad. Love them!
We made our headboard using a drop cloth from Lowe’s.
The navy and ivory Pottery Barn pillows were given to us along with a couch that was given to us when we first moved into this house by some super sweet friends. We have held on to them and I added the duvet, sheet set and ikat pillows (clearance find) from Target.
I handmade a little monogram tag and attached it to a fresh bottle of water for our guests when they arrived. Saves them from making a trip downstairs, especially in the middle of the night if they get thirsty. My husband handmade this console table with hairpin legs from hairpinlegs.com and a piece of wood from Lowe’s.

A little gold dish for jewelry, coins or any other pocket items…

 End table was a $30 clearance find at a furniture store several years ago.
 Magazines are always a good thing to have stacked up!
 Shell from Target (clearance)

Curtains are old ( and quite short for my taste) clearance finds from West Elm, but they still work for now, and I have always loved the subtle pattern on them.
Hope this inspires you to create a little oasis for yourself or your guests somewhere in your home.
Sweet Dreams!
-J

STYLED: ENTRY WAY

My husband is not touring these next couple of months, which means he is HOME and I am putting him to WORK! Lots of things get left undone when he is away, so we have a lot of catching up to do. We are currently in the process of ridding our walls of the flat builder’s paint that has been here since we moved in, and painting them in Behr’s lovely “Chocolate Froth”. It is a lot of work, but so worth it! I absolutely LOVE this color! We painted our guest room with this color, and I knew immediately that I wanted it in every other room in our home! 
We are currently working on our entry way, which is (by default) part of our living room. I put together a little inspiration board of things I have pinned over time or recently purchased for this little space. I am  mostly excited about wrapping a parsons console table in fabric or grass cloth. Leaning towards grasscloth. Have you ever tried a project like this? I am curious to know any tips you may have!
-J